Ten Aspects of Orchid Appreciation: Ten Key Points for Judging the Quality of Orchids

     The appreciation of Chinese orchids by our people has gone through a development process from enjoying the fragrance, to viewing the flowers, to observing the leaves, and to appreciating the "art" variations. The traditional love of orchids was mainly centered on enjoying their fragrance. The ancients held orchid fragrance in the highest esteem, calling it "national fragrance," "fragrance of kings," and "the finest fragrance under heaven." The fragrance of orchids differs from other fragrances: it comes and goes, appears and disappears, seems near and then far, mysterious and unfathomable. An ancient poem says: "I cultivated orchid buds for two or three years; with warm sun and gentle breeze they bloomed one after another. Sitting long, I forgot the fragrance was in the room; opening the window, butterflies sometimes flew in." This is a vivid description of orchid fragrance. Besides fragrance, the noble and elegant character of orchids, not competing with peaches and plums for brilliance, not changing color because of frost and snow, is also deeply loved by our people. In particular, the pure white "plain heart" flower is regarded as the foremost among all orchids, representing the so-called "character of a gentleman." Beyond enjoying fragrance and observing color, there is also emphasis on petal type, requiring the flower shape to have spiritual charm. For example, when the two lateral sepals of an orchid are arranged horizontally in a "single-character shoulder," it has traditionally been regarded as an excellent variety. If the lip is tightly pressed below the column, slightly revealed but not extended, it can be called a top-grade variety. 

     Although orchids are wonderful, after all, the flowers bloom only for a time. Therefore, some people shifted from viewing flowers to observing leaves, believing that "viewing flowers lasts a moment, viewing leaves lasts the year." Orchid leaves remain fresh green all year round, combining firmness and softness, with graceful posture; even when not in bloom, they are a living work of art. A poem says: "Weeping dew scatters the light in disorder; catching the wind, the shadows slant of themselves. How can ordinary people understand this? Viewing leaves surpasses viewing flowers." It can be seen that the beauty of orchid leaves is given very high praise. 

     In recent years, some people have developed a preference for the yellow-white stripes and spots that appear on the leaves of Chinese orchids, calling these stripes or spots "art." Orchids with "art" variations are called "art orchids," and their value is several times to several tens of times higher than those without "art." In recent years, attention has shifted from "leaf art" to "flower art," giving very high evaluation to orchid petals that appear double or deformed. 

     At present, the trend in Chinese orchid appreciation has turned again toward appreciating form, the so-called "form art," namely the special morphological beauty of dwarf varieties and strange-leaf types. And from the single "flower art," "leaf art," or "form art," it has developed into the comprehensive "supreme grade" combining dwarf type, strange leaves, linear art, and strange flowers, with all four qualities present. Based on popular appreciation habits, orchid appreciation can be summarized in "ten aspects": 

     First, look at fragrance. The pure and not muddy is top grade. 

     Second, look at posture. The whole plant being well proportioned, with flowers and leaves in harmony, is excellent. 

     Third, look at color. Among flower colors, pale green is best, dark green is next, those that are red when first opening and later turn green are next again, and red or purple ones are even lower. For leaf color, oily, moist, and glossy is best. 

     Fourth, look at the shoulders. When the left and right lateral petals rise slightly upward, it is called "flying shoulders" and is the most precious; when they extend horizontally and level into a "single-character shoulder," it is an excellent variety; when the two lateral petals droop after blooming, it is called "drooping shoulders" and is inferior. 

     Fifth, look at the petals. "Petals" (actually the 3 sepals) shaped like lotus petals are top grade; those like plum petals are next; those like narcissus petals are next again. 

     Sixth, look at the column. The column is best when smooth and clean, fleshy, thick, and concave inward to form a pouch shape. 

     Seventh, look at the tongue. The lip is best when upright, round, short, and large. The color on the tongue is called "moss"; pure color or white is excellent, yellow is next. The tongue often has red lines or block-like red spots, and vividly colored ones are good. Spots are best when they form one dot, one patch, or are arranged in a triangular formation. 

     Eighth, look at the nose. The column should be small and appear spirited to be top grade. 

     Ninth, look at the sheath. Green sheaths are best, purple ones are next; fine-textured, thin, and hard ones are good, while thin and soft ones are called "rotten clothing" and are not desirable. 

     Tenth, look at the stalk. The stalk is the flower scape; green ones, with length matching the flowers and leaves, and slender while rising above the leaves, are good. 

     The above "ten aspects" include all four areas highly emphasized in judging orchids: qi, color, spirit, and charm.